Irish Literary Lions of Style

1. Jonathan Swift

Ok, we'll admit it, the GQ archives don't quite go back to the 1720s, so we're not entirely sure what was fashionable back then, but judging from the fullness of his wig, and the flowy-ness of his robe, Swift was clearly one stylish cat.

2. Bram Stoker

While the Dracula author looks perfectly gentlemanly in his black and grey three-piece suit, it's the beard and the hair that attracted our attention. You can find this stylish look in pretty much every artisanal cheese shop from Portland to Brooklyn.

3. Oscar Wilde

Perhaps the most famous wit of all time, Wilde once said, "One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." As is evidenced by this fantastic study in dandyism, Wilde chose both.

4. George Bernard Shaw

What, you think we'd give you a pack of Irish writers without some tweed? That's just crazy talk. It is, after all, GQ's winter fabric of choice. Here is the Pygmalion writer at his tweediest.

5. W.B. Yeats

Yet another modern Brooklyn look. Does this mean that every single bartender in Williamsburg is actually a legendary Irish poet?

6. James Joyce

Read Joyce's love letters to his wife Nora, or even chapter 18 of Ulysses, and this lothario-ish smoking jacket makes a lot of sense. Dude definitely liked to get his freak on.

7. C.S. Lewis

Not really sure why the bottom jacket button is buttoned here, but otherwise, this is a relatively dapper look. The dark pinstripe slacks, the vest, the rakish cigarette—pretty slick for a Cambridge don.

8. Samuel Beckett

Bar none the coolest hair in the history of English letters. It was like a James Dean coif but before James Dean. I mean, if you're stuck waiting for Godot, why not do it with great hair.

9. Seamus Heaney

For those who haven't spent much time around contemporary writers, the open-collared shirt with the jacket is the official uniform. It's in the union contract. Seamus Heaney knows what's up.

Ok, we'll admit it, the GQ archives don't quite go back to the 1720s, so we're not entirely sure what was fashionable back then, but judging from the fullness of his wig, and the flowy-ness of his robe, Swift was clearly one stylish cat.